Enforce Me

Chapter 18: Hurt For Me

Tatum

If Jaidan held his head any higher I was sure it would snap off. He was keeping his smaller legs in stride with my larger ones almost step for step and the pack seemed to notice this as they kept their mutterings to a minimum.

I could almost compare him to a preening peacock the way his movements were so elegant and kept my scanning eyes always falling back onto his beautiful wolf, the way his legs curled before his paws barely made a sound on the crunching autumn leaf covered ground for only a second until they lifted and curled under him for another step, and the way his hips almost swayed, begging for attention.

At that, I turned my head forward, my wolf stirring for his mate. We had a hunt to commence.

''Have you ever scouted before?'' Our mind link opened with my words.

''I've never hunted before.'' My steps slowed for a second and his head fell just a little when my eyes watched him.

''I'll teach you.'' His head shot straight back up as if he was attempting to be a giraffe and his sapphire eyes lit up with so much happiness I had to stop a second to take it in.

It didn't take us long to catch wind of a herd of deer, our group splitting into two scouting groups of two and the rest of the pack making its way to where we would herd our prey.

''You have to be as silent and invisible as possible.'' I lowered my body closer to the ground to become smaller and almost laughed at how I still dwarfed Jaidan.

He lowered his body and followed me, his smaller build proving an asset as his steps fell mutely, expertly avoiding twigs and particular crunchy looking tree abandoned leaves.

We had rounded the herd of deer making sure to steer clear of the way the biting air was blowing trying to give up our position and scare off the deer.

''Okay.'' I got into a crouching position and Jaidan didn't skip a beat as he copied me, his eyes focused solely on the grazing herbivores in front of us. ''Our job is to chase and herd them to the pack. Try to do this as quickly as possible and keep them all together. If they spook too soon we've lost our chance.''

''Okay. I got it.'' His head nodded and his wolfish brows creased with concentrations, his hackles moving up and down preparing for the run he was about to do almost moving like a cat ready to pounce.

''We're in position.'' The other two veteran scouts, Rod and Peter pushed my mind link, their position being a few meters to our left so they could herd the left rear side while we kept the right side from running off.

''Now.'' My body lurched forward from behind trees and shrubbery, the deer's heads snapping up before jumping over fallen branches and foliage trying for their lives to outrun the three wolves that joined me.

It took barely a second for a small blur of white to reach my side, eyes focused on the prey in front of him, his brow creased in concentration, saliva dripping from his canines each time his paws pounded on the ground.

It was as if he had been hunting his whole life.

''Howl baby, howl.'' I barely finished saying the words before his head raised and a loud echoing howl burst from his jaws, his legs not skipping a beat as he kept corralling the deer to the right location.

Rod and Peter gave barks and growls of approval as they mustered the left side, their howls mingling with each other and their wolves running almost in tandem.

Watching Jaidan's wolf in such deep concentration was admirable. My wolf was like a pup watching his idol; in awe. My head fell before it rose to join my mate and two pack mates in their call as we reveled in the hunt.

Growls were the only thing that gave the deer a warning a split second before the rest of the hunting party lunged at their sides and took down deer in small groups, Jaidan and I locking onto a large buck in front of us dodging wolves trying to get away.

I didn't even need to tell Jaidan where to go as he fell to my side and raced alongside the frantic buck. We were running full speed, trying to match the large male as it dashed between trees trying to loose us and this gave him the perfect opportunity to start kicking his legs.

It took a split second for it bank left just a few centimetres and its legs lined up right with Jaidan's face, the powerful hoof knocking his head to the side and immobilising him on the ground and for the first time ever I abandoned the hunt and raced straight for my bleeding mate, the sudden change of direction earning me a kick to the left side of my face but I felt nothing but my mate bond flooding with pain.

''Jaidan.'' I nudged his red matted head with my own earning a small whimper from him.

I barely took notice as blood clotted my face and my left eye swelled shut, I continued to nudge and push my mate over and over, licking at his temple and ear where his white fur had turned red.

Wolves that had been celebrating their kills stood still as a whine came out muffled by my nose buried in Jaiden's neck trying to push his head up.

Blue eyes kept flickering open and closed, staring at me but spending more time closed then open. It scared my wolf, our actions becoming more drastic as I grabbed his scruff in my mouth and tried to pull him up, his head falling on me as soon as I moved under his to keep his weight on me as he sat up.

''Get up baby.'' My wolf wanted to whine and whimper to show how distressed we were but I kept my voice strong for Jaidan's sake.

''Hurts.'' He whimpered.

''I know, baby. I know.''

I could hear Dustin, Rod and Peter rounding up the hunting party making sure they headed back to the den with their kills rather than hovering over my injured mate.

Minutes passed in what felt like hours of anxiety before Jaidan's head got lighter as he lifted it off of mine, his body faltering a little at the loss of support. He was still groggy with pain so I waited patiently as he shook it off.

His right white ear was stained red along with part of his face. No matter how much I tried to clean it, it stained his beautiful fur.

''I'm sorry.''

''For what.'' I gave a final lick to his cheek, his eyes opening tiredly.

''For- Was that because of me?'' Jaiden's eyes widened and locked onto my swollen eye, the familiar feel of warm, thick clotted blood mingled with my dark fur.

''No. I was careless.'' I turned my cheek so he couldn't see. It wasn't his fault.

My body jumped a little when I felt Jaidan's tongue sweep out over my eyelid. The burn of the touch stinging for a second before I dulled it out and concentrated on the white wolf in front of me stretching his neck as far as it could go while he was still sitting, his body closer now than it was before, his front paws looking captured by mine as they sat between my black ones.

My head instinctively bent and angled to accommodate my mate as I let him tend to me all he wanted. Pain was pulsing through the mate bond but the emotional pain Jaidan was feeling over powered his physical pain. He was hurting for me and I was hurting for him.

A/N

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